


Descent

by bitterfloof



Series: Sick Fics! [8]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hiding Medical Issues, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Major Character Injury, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:09:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25432147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitterfloof/pseuds/bitterfloof
Summary: After leaving Crestholm Channels, Noct finds himself with an injury that he neglects to tell his friends about. After all, he can handle it just fine - right?
Series: Sick Fics! [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1204846
Comments: 3
Kudos: 41





	Descent

**Author's Note:**

> Of course I'm posting this instead of updating my other FFXV WIP but I had a brainwave after I got stuck in Crestholm Channels for 4 hours (around 8 in-game days) because I have no sense of direction and because nothing good could come from running around in sewers!!
> 
> So here we are, enjoy!

They hadn't planned to get so very lost in Crestholm Channels - it had just sort of happened. The sort of being the drainage of water that had swept the footing right from under the group and sending them all tumbling further from where they wanted to be with no discernable way back and right into the middle of a pack of daemons. But the daemons wasn't even the worst part - if that was at all possible it was the simple fact of being undeniably lost.

"Left, right?"

"I'm sure we just came from that direction."

"This gate's locked as well."

"Do we keep going down? We're meant to be heading up!"

Even the plummet down to the home of nagarani wasn't the worst part - though they all felt it in their joints for days afterwards and it was an event they wouldn't be likely to forget it for a while. 

No, the worst part of Crestholm Channels was 100% the fact that it was sewers! Dark, smelly, claustrophobic sewers plus they were crawling with daemons and with no easy way out. All in all, it was a terrible, awful time had by everybody involved and one that none of them wanted to repeat any time soon. 

The resurface into the setting sun was a welcome sight after cresting the ladders out of the dank hole. Noct sat for a moment letting the cool evening breeze was over him, reminding him that they had all once again survived a foray in darkness - it was only after Prompto kneeled down next to him did Noct realise just how bad they all smelled.

"Prom, you stink," Noct said, recoiling slightly from his friend but Prompto only laughed.

"Yeah, so do you."

It was true, the entire group positively reeked. They were soaked to the bone from running around in sewer water, diving to avoid daemons and just generally being in a sewer. Dirt and grime stuck to their shoes and skin as a reminder of what they had been through. And not to mention the smell - that was definitely the worst. 

This putrid, almost acidic smell that just clung to everything - to hair, to clothing, to skin, seemingly sticking right down to the very bones and it was sickeningly vile. Inside the sewer it wasn't so bad - there were so many bad smells down there that the ones that stuck just got lost with the others. But now, in the open fresh air, it was so much more obvious and it made Noct gag.

"Shower, dinner and then a rest, in that order," Iggy reasoned and Noct had never heard anything more pleasant. 

Running around caverns and forests and volcanos took a lot out of a person and whilst Noct had dealt with those before, usually coming out of it he was at least a little tired - but exiting Crestholm there was something else, a something he couldn't quite shake off (which wasn't the smell). It was an odd feeling, but he chalked it up to excessive tiredness brought on by a lack of sleep and a lot of use of magic and thought nothing more of it.

"We're going to need to wash the seats after this," Gladio commented, taking his jacket off and setting it in the footwell. The Regalia had been through a lot, but it didn't deserve getting covered in sewer gunk. The group all did away with their jackets, setting them in the boot to be washed at a later date. With his jacket gone, Noct felt oddly cold - it wasn't like it did much covering being short-sleeved and all, but it was like taking off a layer of skin that left him chilled. More chilled than he probably should have been.

The nights weren't exactly cold and the slight summer breeze that blew usually only served to cool an overheated body, it wasn't a vicious winter chill that cut through warmth like a knife. 

"Anybody else kind of cold?" Noct asked offhandedly.

"Hm? Oh, not any more than normal," Prompto replied watching Noct curiously. "You a little cold?"

"What, no, I'm fine - just adjusting I guess."

The look on Prompto's face said he definitely didn't believe a word Noct said but chose to let it go (not without noting the odd occurrence that was). 

"Everybody ready to go," Iggy asked.

"Yes please, let's leave the sewer behind!" Prompto said, bouncing into the front seat.

The thought of being trapped in a car with sewer stink made Noct a little nauseous at the thought - and made him thankful for the car being a convertible - so instead of trying to stay away in the journey to the hotel, he tried to get some sleep (and for once, nobody would blame him, they were all exhausted and just ready to drop).

The drive back to the hotel felt longer than normal but that might have been because Noct kept falling in and out of sleep. It wasn't so much sleep but little boughs unconsciousness but each time he opened his eyes again he seemed to be somewhere else that he didn't recognise. It was a little disconcerting, to say the least.  
  
Noct didn't even realise he had been zoning out again until Prompto had leaned over the seat and booped him on the forehead.

"Earth to Noct, you falling asleep there buddy?"

"Leave him be," Gladio said cutting Prompto down.

"Woah, you're actually letting him sleep for once?"

"I think it's what we all need right now."

Noct let the conversation wash over him as it faded into a muted hum in the background. Ever since leaving the channels behind he'd been feeling weird - itchy and warm in a way that the air blasting into his face as they drove should have been. His shirt kept sticking to one particular spot which made it uncomfortable to sit back in his seat.

He kept shifting around trying to find a comfortable position to fall asleep in again, but every position just made him feel worse.

"You okay," Gladio asked eventually, watching Noct with a curious and concerned look.

"I feel . . . disgusting," it was the only right way to describe it. "I feel like something's stabbing me in the shoulder."

"It'll be all the sewer gunk caught in your shirt," Prompto piped up from the front, once again turning to face Noct. "We'll have to burn these when we get to the hotel." 

Noct knew he was joking and yet also maybe not. Even with the roof down and the air somewhat eradicating the smell, there was still the faint undercurrent of sewer ick and it made Noct feel faintly nauseous.

"Hey Iggy, how long until we're at the hotel," Noct asked, desperate to get into a shower and non-sewer infested clothing.

"No more than 10 minutes or so I should think."

Finding the most comfortable position possible (which still wasn't that comfortable) Noct closed his eyes - he could sleep for 10 minutes, right?

* * *

"Wakey-wakey Noct."

Apparently he could sleep for 10 minutes - but it wasn't at all refreshing. If anything he felt even worse than he had 10 minutes before - the weird itchy, warm feeling was there and had increased to the point that the warmth was making him feel dizzy just sitting in the seat of the car.

"I'm coming," Noct replied not really directing it to anybody in particular and instead followed the rest towards the hotel. Each step he took seemed to increase the dizziness and Noct couldn't wait until he just could take a shower and sleep - he could do with a proper sleep instead of the disjointed naps he had been having. 

"Shotgun!" Prompto yelled slamming into the bathroom like a little blonde flash of lightning the moment the entered the room. Noct sat himself down on one of the chairs in the room, opting to not get the clean bedding covered in sewer gunk. However, the slam of the door Prompto caused had pain shooting through Noct's skull and he winced - quite violently apparently as Iggy turned his attention towards the prince.

"Everything alright Noct?" Iggy asked.

"Hm . . . oh, um yeah, just tired," he sighed.

Iggy let out a sound that Noct knew well as the 'I don't believe you but I'm going to let this slide a I know pushing too much will just have an adverse effect on my actual goal'. Sitting on the chair, Noct reached over his shoulder trying to pull his shirt away from his back - the pain he had felt in the car was back and worse than before.

He tried not to move about too much though, as his 'just tired' excuse wouldn't hold up under Iggy's scrutiny at all. Instead he opted to roll his stiff shoulders and wait patiently for Prompto to finish showering.

Eventually, Prompto emerged from the bathroom, looking (and smelling) much better than before.

"It's all yours Noct."

Grabbing a fresh towel and extra clothes, Noct shut the bathroom door behind him and just stood for a moment, leaning his head back against the door and dropping his towel and clothes on the floor.

The door was warm and damp with condensation but the feeling was weirdly welcome. He just wanted to shower and sleep and be done with the day. Pulling off his t-shirt, the material brushed against his shoulder and Noct winced - turning so he was facing the mirror he could finally see what had been causing him so much discomfort.

There was a gash running across his shoulder blade - he didn't remember at any point being hit across the shoulder but at the same time, his entire time spent in the channels had turned into a weirdly distorted blur of twisting corridors and ladders. The gash itself had clearly been knitted together with a potion at some point but it was still raised away from the skin, red, and definitely not healthy looking.

Reaching over his shoulder, Noct brushed lightly against the wound and winced in pain - it was warm to the touch.

"Shit," Noct commented letting his t-shirt fall to the floor. This was the last thing he needed. Stripping out of the rest of his smelly clothing, Noct stepped into the shower that Prompto had left running before turning the temperature down to not much above lukewarm. 

Letting the water wash over him, Noct just stood and let the days toil wash down the drain - ideally taking all his worries with it. There was still a nagging feeling in the back of his head though that something was wrong - but that might have been the headache that was definitely building there. Sighing, Noct eventually washed himself down and eventually stepped out of the shower feeling cleaner than before but not much better - he made a mental note to use another potion on his shoulder if it wasn't better by the morning.

Hanging his used towel over a heater to dry, Noct flopped down onto the bed next to Prompto and buried his face into the hotel pillow. It was a little thin but it smelt clean and the bed was warm and inviting. Despite the painful burning sensation in his shoulder having slowly progressed down his arm during the shower, Noct found himself drifting off quite easily - he'd be just fine by the morning.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos make my world go round, so feel free to leave any concrit if you want!
> 
> Thank you for reading, stay tuned for more!


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